Monument-base



'1. R. JAMES. MGNUMENT BASE.v APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. |920.

Famed me. 28,1920.,

LSSIL JOSEP-' R. JAMES, OT: SLVER CITY, MISSISSIPPI.

MONUMENTBASE Application filed February 17, 1920.

To ZZ whom t may concern Be it known that l, Josnri-r R. JAMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Silver City, in the county of Yazoo, State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Monument-Bases; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rl`his invention relates to metallic structures such as are usually employed as the bases for poles and posts, and its object is to produce a base which is designed to be anchored adjacent a grave, and means for fastening upon it an upstanding so-called tombstone of any appropriate material and of various sizes within limits.

One feature of the invention consists in the structure of the base so that a wooden slab ora panel can be employed as the tomb stone, and it will be held above and out of contact with the ground and therefore remote from the deteriorating eifects of moisture.

Another feature of the invention lies in theI fact that, while its structure is such that it can be cast, it affords provision for the ready engagement with it of fasteners spaced at various points so that slabs of dif- Vferent sizes can be mounted upon the base.

Other objects will appear in the following,` specication and claims, and reference is made to the drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a grave at whose head is placed a base of this kind supporting a slab of wood, this view show ing; a bolt for attaching the fasteners to its sides and a screw for holding the fastener to its nearest edge.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the' center of the base and slab of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view and Fig. a bottom plan view of the base.

Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the fasteners.

l/Vhile it is true that this device might be made of such size that it could support a monument-especially if a number of these bases were usedits general purpose is to support a tombstone or more particularly a headstone or a footstone. Yet these socalled stones are often of other material than stone, and the slab 1 shown in Fig. 1 might be of wood into which the inscription could be cut, and the whole coated with a Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented Dec. 2S, tgz@ Serial No. 359.393.

metal which will rust, it may be subsequently treated as by being painted, japanned, enameled, or galvanized, so that it also will resist the deteriorating effects of climate and contact with the earth. For a footstone the base and the slab would both be' smaller but for a headstone the base could well be from one' to two feet long, about a quarter as wide as it is long', and as thick as thought necessary. ltis substantially rectangular, and its upper face 2 is fiat as seen in Fig. 3. its lower face 3 is provided with a longitudinal channel 4: and a transverse channel 5 crossing the saine at the center, and the body of the base is cut through with slots 6 in the channels 4 and '7 in the channels 5, the 'limer ends of the slots 7 being quite close to each other and the inner ends of the slots 6 somewhat remote. Long pins or spurs 8 depend rigidly from the ends of this base, and instead of casting the saine as integral parts of the body structure, they might be made as separate elements and attached later by any suitable means.

Fasteners are employed for attaching the slab to the base, and each is of the construction best seen in Fig. 5,' and preferably also made olf metal suitably treated to prevent rust. it has a itat body l0 pierced with two or more holes il, the body being thickened a little at its lower end into a foot l2, a stem 13 which is of a size to pass through and turn in one of said slots; and at the lower end of the stem a 'lu-head la which stands substantially in the' plane of the body. F our of these fasteners are provided with each base, and the whole can be manufactured and sold to the person who desires to erect a headstone or footstone adjacent the grave of a departed friend or relative.

In the use of this device, the ground is leveled 0E at the point where the monun'ient or tombstone is to stand, the base is brought into position and its spurs forced down into the ground until its lower face 3 rests thereon or is perhaps pressed thereinto` as preferred. In lact, it is quite possible to dig out a little cavity in the ground and pour into it a plastic such as cement, and then put the base into position and bear it down until its lower tace is pressed into the cement and the latter rises a little into the channels 4l and 5. ln any case, a slab l' rectangular in cross section is next brought into position and set up upon the upper tace 2 of the base, exactly where it is desired that it shall stand. rlhe four fasteners are now brought into use, each having its T-head 14: passed down through one of the slots and turned across the same so that its body l0 can be laid flat against the tace or edge of the slab and its toot l2 will rest on the upper face 2 of the base at 0pposite sidesot the slot. Finally the fasteners are attached to the slab by means ot bolts, screws, nails, or keys 15 which are passed through appropriate holes l1 and into registering holes formed into the slab itself. lt the latter is of stone or composition or ot metal or wood properly treated or coated, it will last for years as above stated and it will be supported by this base and the fastening devices in a strictly upright position rather than becoming decayed or injured by mois-V ture above and below the earths suriace, and blown over or tilted by the winds and storms. lt the slab be of wood, l consider it desirable'to have a considerable portion of the base stand well above the levelV of the earth. and therefore when it rains the water will run ott on the base rather than standing beneath the wooden slab where it might any time aect the paint on the lower end. lt will be obvious that' a device of this character renders it possible tor the poorest families to put up a headstone in memory of a dear one, even though the slab or stone be of wood rather than of some more enpensive material usually employed tor this purpose. Also it will be obvious that this device may be used to advantage when stone or other heavy material is employed, because in any case it supports the slab in upright position.

- What is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with a board; ot' a base provided with longitudinal and transverse slots, ,fasteners having narrow stems with T-heads at their lower ends flattened for passage through said slots and lat bodies at their upper ends, and means 'for securing said bodies to the taces and edges respectively of said board to hold the T- heads across said slots.

2. The combination with a base having a slot through it.7 and a headboard on the base partly overlapping its slot; ot a fastener having a lat body attached to one tace oi the headboard, a thickened toot 'resting upon the base, a stem below the 'foot passing through the slot, and a T-head at the lower end ot' the stem held across such slot by the attachment of the fastener to the headboard.

3. The herein described base for monuments and the like, the same comprising a body having a fiat upper tace and'a channel in its lower face and slots through the base opening into said channel, combined with fastening devices having T-heads at their lower ends whereby they may be inserted through said slots and turned to connect them with the base Vand then slid in the slots until they contact with the monument, and means 'tor attaching their Vupper ends to said monument. Y

Ll. ln a device of the class described, the combination with a substantially rectangu lar base flat on its upper tace and having Vlongitudinal and transverse channels in its lower lace intersecting each other, the body being provided with slots through it openingl into said channels; oi a set ol tasteners each having a flat body for attachnient to an article mounted on said base, a stem at the lower end ot its tlat body and of a size to pass through one ot' said slots, and a T-head at the lower end ot the stem and standing in the same plane as the body ot the fastener.

In testimony whereof, l affix my signature, in the presence ot two witnesses.

` JOSEH R. JAMES.

Witnesses:

A. l/V. lNILKs, Jon FREEMAN. 

